Offhand Judgement
by ophidianpoet
Summary: Zacharie and Pablo sneak off to smoke weed on school grounds, and chat about the new kid who came in on an athletics scholarship (OFF highschool AU)


Zacharie listened halfheartedly to the teacher going on about French history. Like he could give a fuck. He'd much rather go back to the previous literature class, that was the only period of the day worth attending anyway. He sank low in his chair, tossing a note to his friend Pablo in the opposite row. Pablo, or "the Judge", as he was known around the school, batted the crumpled paper around on his desk with a delighted smile before smoothing it out to read. Zacharie rolled his eyes. Really, playing with it like a cat toy? Pablo had a distinctly feline air about him, but that was alright, Zach liked cats.

Pablo's sharp eyes read Zacharie's note quickly. _You, me and the trees, behind the bleachers after class? Val too, if he'll be chill about it._Pablo had never tried "the trees" or, as it was more commonly known, weed, before, but he couldn't see a reason not to. And besides, Zacharie was like another brother to him. Pablo didn't want to be rude and refuse his friend's generous offer. He threw the paper back at him with a nod, wondering what his brother, Valerie, would say about them smoking weed on school grounds. Between the two brothers, Valerie appeared to be the more intelligent one, or at least the more studious. But despite the bookish appearance of the younger brother, it was Pablo who got the better grades, especially in the realms of speaking and writing.

The bell finally rang, and the bored students dragged themselves up and shuffled out into the hall. Zacharie tugged the bandanna around his face up and his flat-billed hat down, just barely exposing his eyes. At first, the school's administration had demanded he show his face on campus, but they had all changed their minds once they had a look at the scars and burns that covered his skin. He had special permission to cover his face at school, falling under the grounds of "medical necessity". Occasionally, one of the more unintelligent students would try to pick a fight with him about his concealment. They would be found later, in some dim corner of the school grounds, beaten within an inch of their lives. Eventually, the inquiries about his face stopped, and most of the students left him alone, content to let the masked weirdo do as he pleased. In the realm of personal fashion, Zach favored the monochrome look that had become slightly trendy for a time. That day, he wore skintight checkered pants and a t-shirt he got at the "Elsie and the Gasps" concert last weekend.

Zach and Pablo made their way down the hall in tandem, stopping Valerie along the way. Pablo inclined his head toward his brother. "My friend and I will be engaging in some activity of the herbaceous nature behind the bleachers in a few minutes. Would you care to join us, my dear brother?" he said in a low, cajoling voice, comparable to a purr. Valerie's eyes widened, his face taking on his typical expression of worry. "You mean…" he gasped, leaning closer, "_weed?"_ he hissed, almost choking on the word. Zacharie rolled his eyes. "Yes, that's exactly what was meant, amigo. You interested or not?" Val balked, clutching his books protectively and making an odd choking noise in the back of his throat. "_That's illegal…!" _he said furtively, his eyes darting between the two. Pablo patted his shoulder affectionately. "And as such a statement cannot help to be anything but true, I request that you not give it another thought, Valerie." he said kindly, not wanting to push his nervous brother anymore. Val grimaced and slunk away into his next class, being the first student in the room as usual.

The pair made their way nonchalantly out of the halls and through the empty gymnasium to the stadium bleachers. Zach noted with some amusement how comfortable Pablo looked, casually slouching in his paw-print poncho like he'd done this thousands of times. Zacharie sat on the ground behind one of the larger support beams, reaching into the pockets of his backpack and producing a glass pipe with a smiling toad molded into the bowl. "How expressively appropriate." Pablo remarked, joining his friend on the ground. Zacharie chuckled, pulling off his bandanna and exposing his face. Indeed, the scars running from the edges of his lips, down his chin and up his jaw suggested the wide mouth of a toad, and Zach happily claimed that image. He pulled a small, sticky nugget of cannabis from a plastic baggie, shredded it between his fingers and packed their bowl. "So the new kid who got here last week, from Mississippi…" Zach said thoughtfully, pausing to take the first hit.

Pablo grinned, showing his unruly, fang-like teeth. "The one here on the athletic transfer program, of course." Zach blew smoke out towards the ground, passing to his companion, and he went on. "Yeah, that guy. What's his story, anyway? He never talks to anybody, except to bitch at the teachers or tell people to go away." Passing the pipe back, Pablo remarked, "And it is he who has caught your interest? Could this be," he laughed quietly, "the burgeoning blossoms of young affection blooming in your aloof, standoffish heart?" Zach shot his friend a "shut the fuck up" glance before taking another hit. "Hahahaha, I don't think so. I mean yeah, he's compelling, but that doesn't mean I like him. What I'd _like_, is to see him fall." Pablo raised a brow and took another hit, asking "Have you become a sadist? Or perhaps you're jealous of he, your fellow student?" Zach laughed again. "Probably both." he replied."C'mon, Pabz, you have to admit, that kid's got it all. He's strong, healthy, attractive, flirting with that girl from the rich family, y'know the one with the really dark skin and pale hair…like, this guy can do no wrong, and it irritates me." Pablo put a hand on Zach's shoulder, regarding him with a serious, level gaze. "That's not good reasoning to get involved with someone else's life, my friend. Actions spurred on by the impure whips of hatred are bound to lead you somewhere you don't want to go."

When Pablo spoke like that, Zacharie had a very hard time ignoring what was said. Not to mention that when Pablo _really looked_ at him, Zach felt like he could see everything he was trying to hide. After a minute, Zach sighed, nodding. "You know I trust your judgement, Pablo. Don't worry about it. I'll, maybe get to know the guy first?" Pablo relaxed and smiled. "That sounds much better." The pair sat in an amiable silence for a minute, smoking happily, until Pablo slumped to the ground, purring. Zacharie blinked. "Okay but what if I were an actual feline?" Pablo said dreamily, and Zach chuckled, replying "For most intents and purposes, you basically are." Zacharie watched his friend amuse himself by washing invisible cat-ears with his "paws" before putting the now-cashed bowl away with a muttered "You fuckin' weirdo."

They both giggled quietly until the feeble, squawking voice of one of the teachers came into the stadium. Zach jumped to his feet. "Shit, it's Japhet." he hissed. Pablo gave an exasperated sigh. "Valerie must have told. Betrayed by the one who's blood I share…" he lamented, cut off by Zach's hand around his wrist. "Okay you can cry about it later amigo, we gotta make tracks." The two delinquents made their way swiftly out of the bleachers, snickering uncontrollably as they went.


End file.
